Show Me the Science with Luke O'Neill Newstalk

Turbulence might be one of the only things that might make you dread jetting off on your summer holidays, especially after recent reports of injuries sustained on flights.
Luke will put your mind at ease by explaining the science behind the phenomenon and the differences between the various types. He also explains why there's an apparent increase in turbulence and why it's becoming more likely with global warming.

50,000 years ago homo-sapiens arrived in Papua New Guinea - It was a big change of environment and the evolution of the people there is a clear demonstration of the survival of the fittest.
Research looking at the DNA of the people in Papua New Guinea showcases two big genetic differences which helped them to survive. For one group living in the mountains, a variant which increases your red blood cell count helped them to cope with the altitude. Another group living in the jungle possessed a genetic variation making them prone to inflammation to fight off infection.
Luke explains the history of human evolution across Earth and in Papua New Guinea specifically and what these findings mean going forward.

What is the role of the brain in our immune response? We already know that the brain makes us feel rotten when we're sick so we stay away from the rest of the herd and don't spread the infection further. But, now there is new research into the brain stem which showcases the two neural pathways that increase and suppress inflammation.
While there are still questions to be answered about finding the right balance of suppressing inflammation without leaving us susceptible to infection, Luke explains why it's such an exciting breakthrough.

You know if things had worked out differently 800,000 years ago you wouldn't be here to listen to this podcast? There wouldn't even BE podcasts which is even more shocking to comprehend. In this week's episode Luke discusses how fossil records have recently revealed that there was a big disappearance of hominids which has led them to conclude that we may not have happened!

There is no doubting that A.I is here to stay and it is here to revolutionise pretty much every aspect of our lives. There has been many concerns as to what that future will look like but in this week's episode Luke tries to allay at least some of those fears by identifying 4 major benefits of A.I.

Utilizing our own immune systems to fight cancer has always been an interesting idea to scientists, and now there's serious progress being made in this filed that could see us developing personalized treatments for the disease.
Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgeries are all useful treatments but a vaccine against the tumor could be much more effective without being as intrusive.
Luke explains how they might make these vaccines and gives the latest update on the clinical trials going on.